She's A Lady
by Aspen-SiredBySpike
Summary: Jared thinks about the women in his life. For one, he remembers all of the things he loves about her. For the other, he realizes that she deserves so much more than she's been given.


**A/N: Long time no post, huh? Well, this is based on the song "She's A Lady" by Forever The Sickest Kids. I thought it fit The Host perfectly and couldn't resist writing this. Jared POV. Jared/Mel, Jared/Wanda. Read and review? Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Host or any of the characters.**

* * *

**She's A Lady**

_I'm in love with a girl I hate_

_She enjoys pointing out every bad thing about me_

_I'm in love with a critic and a skeptic, a traitor_

_I'd trade her in a second._

At times she -_it_- was completely, inexplicably impossible. A parasite, his Mel… It couldn't be. But no matter how much he tried to hate the worm that took her over, Jared couldn't bring himself to. It would stay holed up in that little cavern Jeb have given it, trying in vain to catch glimpses of him when he decided that it was time to check up on it. When their eyes did meet, hers -its- were so scared, so alone, he wanted to do everything in his power to protect it. Then again, that would be simply unacceptable. He couldn't -wouldn't- have conflicting feelings for it. The tingles that shot up his spine, the goosebumps on his arms… they weren't there because of _it_. It had to be Mel's body. Yes, that was it; it was the only possible answer. After all, he would give anything to trade it back for Mel.

Melanie Stryder had been true to him since they first met. She never lied to him, and had no inclination to ever betray him. He trusted her. He couldn't trust a parasite. Jeb was a fool for giving the… _thing_… his good will. It would betray him in the end.

Then again, that godforsaken alien did this thing with those damn silver eyes. At times, Jared wondered if it was sizing him up every minute of every day. Without any knowledge of his being, he felt as though it could see right into his soul. Right _through _his soul. Even when it wasn't around, he couldn't help but wonder if it was still scrutinizing him, looking for flaws. No doubt it found more than it bargained for.

_She's a backseat driver, a drama provider_

_An instant update of the world._

He had long ago accepted that she was going to be around for awhile.

When she began going on raids with him, the very thought of a presence beside him at the wheel made him want to hurl. Her blindfold was long gone, but even when her eyes were covered it was as if she was giving him silent directions using her body language. A tiny shuddering of the arms: turn here. A slight jiggle of the legs: just a little farther. Mel was never a backseat driver. Thinking back, Jared crinkled his eyes. Scratch that, she was.

At least his girl didn't stir up tension in a room just by walking into it. Wanda, as Jeb dubbed her, managed to shake Kyle to the very bones as soon as she set foot in the same room as him. They couldn't stand within one hundred feet of each other without Wanda needing a bodyguard with a gun, while Kyle was flanked by restrainers who were ready to act on a moment's notice, if the need should arise. And then there was Sharon. At least Jared could bear to look at Wanda. The fiery redhead was sure a bitch sometimes. All in all, Wanda sure knew how to stir up the drama in the caves.

One thing Jared did find fascinating about Wanda was her stories. Mostly, he heard them secondhand from Jamie, but they were just as riveting as when he heard them from Wanda herself. She was an instant update of what the world was like since _they_ had moved in. All of the new medicines and technologies; it truly was fascinating. And who knew that there were so many other planets out there? Learning about her past heritage was endearing- although he had no plans on telling her that anytime soon.

_She's a first class liar, a constant forgetter._

_(She's attractive but bitter)_

If there is one thing Wanda couldn't do, it was lie. Jared was told that it wasn't _their_ way. After all, '_honesty is the best policy_'. At times, he wondered if she lied to him about that statement and she was, in truth, a first class liar, lying to him about everything. But then she would lie and he would catch the motion right away. That look in her eyes, the way her mouth twitched… It was so obvious. Unfortunately, that meant that she was telling the truth about everything else. He grimaced just thinking about it. The last thing he wanted was to believe this goddess of an alien.

No- not a goddess. Most certainly not. How could she be a goddess after inflicting so much pain -both physical and emotional- on him? Jared unconsciously raised his hand to his cheek, inspecting the spot that she hit him. Actually, _Mel_ was the one who hit him, he remembered. She always was bitter when he so much as mentioned a woman from his previous life. Bitter but beautiful; it was the only way to describe her. Mel's body, that is. Not Wanda.. Wanda was a three inch silver worm. Most definitely anything but beautiful. Or, at least that was what he kept telling himself.

_Did you scream enough to make her cry? _

The constant arguments between members of the group about her were disconcerting. All of the screaming was enough to make her cry. Wanda would never show it, he knew. She would wait until she was in the solitude of her room to shed the tears.

The very thought of it broke his heart.

_It's a turn around, turn around_

Over the past few months, as much as he hated to admit it, Jared became so used to having Wanda around, it was heartbreaking when they were apart. As much as he loved Mel, he couldn't help but feel a tug at his heartstrings for the very girl he had told himself to hate. He had a snagging suspicion since she had first come to the caves that not only Mel, but her inhibitor, had more than friendly feelings towards him. To feel the same way about her was such a turn around, it made his head spin.

After all, how could he love two completely different people at once?

_Baby, don't return to me_

When he figured out her plan about running off to Doc, Jared couldn't stand to think about it. He had become so accustomed to having Wanda in his life, he couldn't imagine living without her.

He was sure that she was doing it for Mel, for _him_, but he couldn't hold back the traitorous thoughts that had clouded his mind for weeks. As bad as it was, keeping Wanda in Melanie's place wouldn't be that bad of a trade.

Too bad it wasn't only her values to their family that was making him think that.

_If you think that I'm not worth your time._

When Wanda said that she didn't have a last request that she could take with her, Jared felt his heart cracking. Was she just saying that so he would get out of her sight? Was he not worth her time?

It hurt him to believe that.

When she said that she couldn't even bring a memory with her, that was the moment that Jared decided it was his duty to make her last minutes on earth worthwhile. She was loved, even if she refused to believe it.

_She's a lady and ladies shouldn't be messed with._

She had been through hell during her first few months in the caves, and now, Jared released, she deserved anything but the fate she had been dealt. Treated with disrespect was not how she should have been welcomed.

Watching her run down the hallway away from him sent an explosion of memories they shared his way. Laying together in the desert sand, fleeting glances in the tunnels, countless nights spent in hotel rooms, a few _mind-blowing_ kisses, and simple caresses meant for each other, another, and no one at all. To see her walk away from him now was unbearable.

Because after all of those hard times, those sacred moments, Jared finally realized that Wanda was anything but a parasite; she was a lady, and ladies shouldn't be messed with.

_She's a lady and ladies shouldn't be messed with._


End file.
